Field notes from exploring backcountry locations of the Western United States

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Southern Nevada and Tonopah Basin

Crescent Peak Arrastra

Crescent Peak Arrastra

I visited a fairly modern arrastra in Southern Nevada in 2019. It is mostly intact with the drag stones still in place. That is a rare find!

Crescent Peak Arrastra

The district was worked prehistorically for turquoise but there are some small gold deposits here. A shallow shaft and other prospects are behind the arrastra on the hill.

Sadly, the wash has undercut the arrastra and the whole thing has cracked in half.

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Tramway Mine

Tramway Mine

This gold mine lives up to its name. The inclined wooden tramway is the most interesting thing here and makes this old mine worth visiting. Don't be confused though, it is not an aerial tramway, but a railed inclined tram used to lower ore down from the mine to the

Tungstar Mine Tram

Tungstar Mine Tram

This very adventurous hike follows an old mining trail which led to the Tungstar Mine, a 1940s tungsten mine high on the western slope of Mt. Tom, the prominent 13,658-foot peak just west of Bishop. The trail was used in the early days of the mine to build a

Sagamore Mine Camp

Sagamore Mine Camp

The Sagamore mine, also known as the New York mine, was a silver, lead, copper, zinc, and gold mine. It was first discovered in the 1870s by Mormons who found rich silver veins in the foothills of the New York Mountains. It is one of the oldest mines in the